The present invention relates, in general, to a method and apparatus for providing a wavelength converter, and more particularly to a monolithic semiconductor ring laser assembly for converting a laser beam having a first wavelength to a corresponding laser beam having a second wavelength.
Advances in current monolithic semiconductor integration technology have permitted solid state lasers of complex geometry to be fabricated, including, for example, ring lasers having a variety of cavity configurations. Examples of such configurations are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,983, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. These advances have expanded the potential applications for integrated semiconductor lasers, have added the attractiveness of improved manufacturability and reduced cost, and have opened the opportunity to explore new and novel features that can be incorporated within and outside the laser cavity.
Over the past few years, thanks mainly to the popularity of the Internet, the demand for increased bandwidth has experienced explosive growth. Some carrier companies and their suppliers have addressed this demand by installing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems, which allow multiple wavelengths of light to be transmitted through a single strand of optical fiber. An important part of the enabling technology for this is the ability to convert optical signals having one wavelength of light to corresponding optical signals having another wavelength, and thus there is a growing need for effective, inexpensive wavelength converters.